I’ve been thinking of doing some walking between my running days, the kind of long walks where you stop and rest, eat a snack or a sandwich not because you need to fuel up but more because you like eating a sandwich outdoors! I want to bring a water bottle or two, and may need to shed a jacket halfway through the walk. After trying to figure out how to fit this into my running schedule I decided I might want to do both on one day. Run an easy 3 or 4K, then walk another 10-15k with breaks as mentioned.
For walking I figure any lightweight backpack will do, but if I want to add in a run, even a short one, what type of backpack should I look for?
It’s freezing here in Texas, I just got my electricity back yesterday after days without it, and I still have no running water, but by next week it will be spring weather in the 60’sF so I’m trying to look forward to that!
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Graduate10
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I use this rucksack all the time for long walks. It's made for females so shorter on the body. The Airzone bit means it is held away from your back by a mesh. Loads of storage and a variety of accessible pockets plus the necessary openings for headphone wires and hydration hoses. It has chest and waist straps and fully adjustable. Many other females in my walking group were so impressed they bought the same one. Theres a comparable Male one. I'm not sure I'd personally run with it , but then I wouldn't combine a walk of that duration with a run, actually I dont combine any walking with running🤣 to the extent that when I had a slim rucksack with me on a 10 mile run last week, although it had things in it I could do with (gloves, water, yaktrax) because of my no stop policy I would have been as well leaving the whole lot at home.
I’ve never combined my running and walking either! It might not work at all for me, but I really need my rest days, and even walking interferes with my achy joints recuperating so if I want to do my long walks, which I gave up when I started running every other day, I have to give up a run day for it, and I don’t really want to do that either. I tried walking on my rest days but that doesn’t give my joints enough of a break.
For a walking and picnicking day, like Grannyhugs, I love my Lowe Alpine Airzone.If you are carrying enough drink and food for a day out plus spare layers, it is really important to have a backpack that fits you well, with a hip belt to take the weight off your shoulders.
Having said that, I wouldn't dream of trying to run with it on my back, or of walking all day in my running shoes. I keep my long walks for non-running days.
Oh dear I walk in my running shoes all the time! Is that bad?
I’ve never done both on the same day, and I’ve sort of had this idea that I HAVE TO run every other day or I’ll backslide. It was such a long slow journey to get to 5k and 10k that I am afraid of losing that level of fitness. I also tend to lose interest in things fairly easily so I’m afraid if I stop running regularly i will eventually just stop running. Probably me being crazy though 😊. It’s the idea that if you decide “I just don’t feel like running today” so you don’t run, it’s SO MUCH EASIER to do that the next time, and every time you skip a run it gets easier to skip another one. So I sort of had this idea in my head that I can’t skip any runs, it’s every other day.period.no negotiations. However, having written all that out I do see the craziness of those thoughts and I am starting to see that walking 10-15k instead of running 4K is NOT the same as just skipping a run. So...maybe I’ll just sub in a walk every third time. 😊
I don't walk as far on running days - I just tend to run a route that is too long for me so I have a good walk home afterwards to cool down (and because I like walking!) I try to walk "properly" on the other 4 days in the week. The two things feel very different for me.You are right about not allowing yourself to skip a run because you don't feel like it. I have just had a break of two months, (although I did keep walking almost every day) starting with not wanting to go out in the mud and rain, and then being frightened about ice - then various other reasons not to go kept piling up, and it would have been horribly easy to stop altogether! I started again this morning, and I must stick to the three days a week!
I think the shoes question depends on you and your feet - but for any distance I am much more comfortable while walking and later in the day if I stick to my walking boots.
I am just thinking do you have to do a run, rest day, run, rest day etc. How about run day, long walk day, rest day, and repeat? Or, if you really want to run and walk on the same day, first thing go out for a short fast run, come home, change gear, then go out for your long walk? It is something I might try.
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The short run each week
An 'all seasons' run/walk
Very short run - mostly downhill
What a beautiful day - time for a run 😊
Rest days between 10K runs and what future runs? 
